


Caught in the Act

by Morningstar96



Series: Caught in the Act [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: And then they meet at a bar, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Kara's a confused alien, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena needs to lie down, Making Out, Office cuddling, Paparazzi being impolite jerks, post-reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 10:13:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19148965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morningstar96/pseuds/Morningstar96
Summary: This started from an adorable mental image of Lena poking her head out from under Kara's cape, and then quickly crashed into them accidentally encountering each other at a gay bar.





	Caught in the Act

 

It was ten at night, and she knew Lena was still wide awake and holed up in her office. Kara sighed, resigning herself to the tank-like stubbornness of her best friend’s atrocious sleeping habits, and banked left toward L-Corp. She knew Lena was still in her office due to the location of her heartbeat, as well as the fact that her office was still lit up. Kara alighted on the balcony, cape fluttering out heavily behind her, and had a clear view of Lena as she glanced up, recognising the tell-tale sound of Supergirl’s landing. Lena gave a quick dip of her head to indicate Kara could let herself in, and was beginning to stand up and stretch just as Kara entered the office. She could hear the crackle of Lena’s spine as she reached up on her toes, face scrunching up adorably at the relieving sensation. At last, Lena shook herself and regarded Kara with piercing green eyes.

‘Can I help you, dear?’ Lena said, a small smile curling the corners of her lips. Kara found herself watching those plump red lips, slightly entranced, before she returned to herself and managed to reply.

‘Uh, right- right. I, uhm… I have the NDA Alex wanted me to give you. You don’t have to sign it now, I know it’s late and all, but it’ll be here when you’re ready for it.’ She cleared her throat awkwardly. She was no stranger to late-night visits to Lena’s office as either Kara or Supergirl, but since Lena found out the two were in fact one and the same thanks to her brother, things had gotten decidedly awkward, not to mention hostile on Lena’s part.

It had been a month since the revelation, one of the toughest months in their already battered lives. There were a lot of tears from both sides, a lot of anger and betrayal from Lena and a lot of guilt and remorse from Kara, but finally, Lena had cooled down and Kara got to explain her side of the story. She got to explain her natural state of mistrust, how she’d been told to never reveal her identity from the moment she crashed on earth, how it had taken two or three years to reveal herself to Winn (this was an attempt to reassure Lena that Kara’s secretiveness was actually just her normal behaviour), how she’d been so terrified of losing Lena that by the time she felt the desire to reveal herself, she knew she was too late. Lena, though still pissed (and Kara couldn’t blame her, so she suffered the anger as gracefully as she could), accepted Kara’s apology, with the warning that she’d still need more time to work through her anger and rebuild their previous trust. Kara was more than happy to accept this, and knew that with the huge secret out in the air, their friendship could reform stronger than ever- like that mythical bird humans are so fond of, the beautiful phoenix that rises from the ashes.

They were still on tentative terms; Kara felt like their bond was made of shattered glass, fragile but slowly mending under the warmth of their shared experiences and stories. Kara didn’t want to push anything to breaking point again, and was about to whisk away and leave Lena in peace, but-

‘Wait.’

Kara halted in her tracks, heart pounding hard in her ears. She swallowed hard, and was acutely aware of the fast pattering of Lena’s heart; at she knew they were each as nervous as the other. She turned around, and found Lena slowly walking up to her. Kara tried not to let her gaze drop to the gentle sway of her hips exemplified by her skirt and blouse combo, or the way she played with her hands as if she’d picked up one of Kara’s nervous habits.

Kara stood rock still as Lena slowly placed a hand over her sternum, right over the proud symbol of El Mayarah, staring intently into each other’s eyes all the while. Her breath stuttered as the warmth of Lena’s palm soaked through her suit and into her skin, and her eyes fluttered shut. She found herself instinctively reaching for Lena, keenly desperate for more physical contact after the blow their friendship had taken. Lena didn’t stop her; she put her other hand on Kara’s waist, letting them both sink into a long-needed embrace. Kara held back a sob as Lena deflated a little, pressing her head into her chest; she held on tight, resting her chin on Lena’s head and squeezing her eyes shut again, not trusting herself to not burst into tears. They stayed like this on silence for a while, breathing in each other’s scent and soaking in their shared warmth.

‘I missed you,’ Lena said eventually, voice still muffled in Kara’s chest.

‘I missed you too,’ Kara said, trying not to betray how trembly her voice was.

‘Couch?’

Kara just nodded, and let Lena lead her to the couch. They instinctively curled up close, neither of them wanting to fully break apart after such a long-needed hug, and Lena reached for Kara’s hand. The office was probably perfectly silent to Lena, but she could hear everything: the traffic and voices below, the steady thud of their hearts, the softness of their breathing, the hum of electrical wiring. They simply sat beside each other in a strange mix of utter calm and thick tension, both waiting for the other to start speaking.

Kara could feel Lena’s hand trembling inside hers just moments before she spoke. ‘I’m so, so sorry,’ she whispered, a single tear tracking down her cheek.

Kara just reached over and wiped it off, feeling her brow crinkle with concern. ‘What on Earth for? I think we established that I’m the idiot who damaged our friendship here.’

Lena shook her head, laughing bitterly. ‘Oh, darling. Please don’t put all the blame on yourself. I see it now: my own pigheadedness landed us in this mess. I should have put myself in your shoes- should have seen that of course you’d be suspicious of me, because it all looked bad from your perspective. Before we even became friends, I’d shown you my alien detection device, something that could have outed aliens who just want to fit in, something that could have put them in danger. I’m surprised you didn’t run away right after that.’

‘You listened to me about my concerns,’ Kara insisted. ‘You listened to me, and saw that it would end up doing more harm than good, and you scrapped it. That’s what a good person does- she listens, and she learns from other perspectives, and does her best to correct any damage. That’s normal personal growth.’

Lena waved off the statement. Kara was about to say something about her relentless and unhealthy self-criticism, but then she kept talking. ‘And then there was the whole Kryptonite debacle. I should have listened to you then, should have realised that sneaking around with Kryptonite and experimenting on Sam would only arouse suspicion.’

‘And then I went behind _your_ back and got James to check on your storage facilities,’ Kara said, wincing regretfully. ‘I overreacted, too. We both messed up then.’

Lena sighed. ‘But you were right to be suspicious. You have good instincts, Kara, you said so yourself. No wonder you took so long to decide to trust me with your identity; I shouldn’t have expected more.’

Kara squeezed her hand. ‘This isn’t just you, Lena. I have a lot of abandonment issues, and despite all appearances to the contrary, I don’t trust easily. It took me three years to come out to Winn, remember? And I only did that because I knew he wouldn’t react badly. You, though… we became even closer than me and Winn, and you have your own trust issues. I was scared to reveal myself and risk losing you. By the time I felt ready, it was far too late- yet you deserve the truth, even if it means you decide to cut me out. I’m just sorry you heard it first from Lex and not me. If I’d just had the guts to go ahead and tell you, we could at least have had the dignity of a personal revelation.’

Lena sighed. ‘I’m sorry I made you feel scared to tell me, and I never had the right to push you in the first place.’ She gave a weak chuckle. ‘You were right about my less-than-pleasant reaction, too. You really do know me well.’

‘I can at least assure you that I have no other secret hero identities.’

For the next few hours they simply talked about nothing and everything, engrossed in conversation and in each other’s presence before they decided to watch Brave on Lena’s tablet. They ended up fully curled around each other by the middle of the movie, Kara holding Lena from behind and wrapping her up in her cape as the night cooled down dramatically.

 

It felt _so good_ to be held like this. Lena had really missed her, more than she’d ever admit, and she’d never felt so safe as she did now, with Kara’s strong arms wrapped around her waist and the warmth of her chest soaking into Lena’s back, and the red cape wrapped around them both to form a stupidly cosy Kara-Lena cocoon. Lena never wanted to move away from this moment; she would be quite happy to live right here for the rest of her life, secure in Kara’s embrace, knowing that their friendship was on the mend. Their hands were clasped together at Lena’s waist, and this entire position felt more intimate than most of Lena’s sexual encounters. She could feel Kara’s soft breathing ruffling the hair on her head, and it honestly took everything she had to just not roll over and fully nuzzle into the superhero. The movie ended far more quickly than she’d expected, and for a while she contentedly listened to Kara wax poetic about modern animation- just like she did whenever they had movie nights.

_We could start having movie nights again._

The thought warmed her, and the vibrations of Kara’s voice against her back felt incredibly soothing. She started running her thumbs over Kara’s hands, making her voice stutter slightly before she continued on her serenade to Mulan, and Lena honestly hadn’t felt so relaxed in such a long time. Eventually they fell into silence, simply basking in their shared warmth before drifting off into the hazy realm between wakefulness and sleep.

Lena had never felt so safe and loved in her life, and she didn’t know how to handle that, so she put it into a box to deal with later, and let herself fall asleep.

 

‘Yeah, she definitely hasn’t come out of the office. Neither of them have.’

The paparazzi were on Luthor’s trail, and apparently on Supergirl’s as well, since nobody had seen either of them leave L-Corp since they spotted Supergirl landing on the balcony. They’d staked out the building throughout the night, hoping to catch either Luthor or Supergirl or both, but for some reason neither woman had left the building. But two of the most daring paparazzi, Jacobi and Nicole, had managed to sneak into the building disguised as early-shift lab technicians, and took the elevator to Luthor’s floor. Thankfully, that pesty assistant, Jess Huang, wasn’t in yet, so they weren’t accosted on their way across the mostly empty floor.

The pair paused at Luthor’s office door. Though they were used to foolishly (needlessly) putting themselves in dangerous situations and generally being annoying, the prospect of entering Luthor’s office unannounced felt unnervingly akin to crashing into a lion’s den.

Cautiously, Jacobi tested the door. ‘It’s unlocked,’ he said, nerves catching in his voice. But his camera was at the ready, and so was Nicole’s, so they quietly eased open the door and padded over the threshold.

It was cold in here, and sparsely decorated; Nicole nudged his arm and pointed out the giant Supergirl/ Superman symbol which provided one of the few decorations on the walls. Jacobi raised an eyebrow at that, but then his attention was caught by the couch. Or rather, the splash of red on the couch that provided one of the few spots of bright colour in the office. Upon blinking a few times, the vision revealed itself in full: Supergirl, in full regalia, sleeping on Lena Luthor’s office couch. The entire premise of that particular scene was enough to make them both mouth a silent _‘What the fuck,’_ to each other, before they raised their cameras and started filming.

It all happened very quickly, primarily because they forgot to account for Supergirl’s heightened senses. She began to stir as they approached, cracking open an eye, and suddenly this felt less like waking a superhero and more like disturbing a pissed-off lioness. Supergirl stiffened as she fixed them with a belligerent blue glare, and Nicole and Jacobi began backing away hastily- but not before a mop of silky black hair, and then a pale, elegant face appeared from beneath Supergirl’s cape. The scene was completely adorable- and then a green glare joined the blue, and they backed further away as Lena Luthor and Supergirl peeled away from each other and stood up. Kara snarled at them, eyes already glowing red in warning, and Lena straightened her clothes as she looked them dead in the eye and said, with dripping hostility, ‘Get. Out. Of. My. Office.’

Nicole and Jacobi promptly scurried out of L-Corp before Lena could sic the security on them.

 

Within the next hour, every single social media channel was drenched in the video clip of Supergirl and Lena sleeping together. While Lena got to stay in her office and take refuge there (whilst also sending out an arrest warrant after the paparazzi for trespassing), Kara had to go out and face the rest of her friends- most notably her sister.

‘Kara, can you explain something?’ said Alex over the phone just as Kara was walking into CatCo.  ‘I’m getting this video all over my newsfeed, and while it’s great to see you and Lena have made up, I have so many questions.’

‘Alex, it’s not what you think,’ Kara said quickly, winding her way through the rowdy bullpen and making her way to her office (she still very much appreciated Cat’s gift; it was almost as if her ex-boss knew that she’d want the blessed quiet of a personal office after years of the noise of the bullpen).

‘Really?’ Alex’s voice was sceptical. ‘Because it looked way to adorable for _just friends.’_

Kara took a deep breath, strange feelings erupting in her stomach at the words. ‘Talk later? I don’t want to talk about this over the phone.’

‘Alright. Sisters night?’

‘Deal!’

The day seemed to go on forever, only hastened by her regular text conversations with Alex and Lena. Lena seemed to be sending an unusual amount of heart emojis today, which made Kara smile like a smitten kitten, and she found out that the paparazzi were now under arrest. But that still didn’t stop the inevitable spread of the video. In her break, she braved her main social media apps- Facebook and Instagram- and dared to check the comments. She raised an eyebrow at some of them (most of them), since the vast majority of National City seemed to find the video completely adorable (which was true), and some had even begun to _ship_ them. Which was entirely ridiculous. But she couldn’t stop thinking about it, couldn’t stop herself from daydreaming about taking Lena on the most amazing dates, couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of their bodies pressed together and Lena’s soothing scent in her nose-

‘Ponytail! I need an article on this morning’s video, stat!’

Kara sighed. Of course Snapper would get her to write the article attached to this fateful video. She felt her phone buzz, and checked her messages. It was Lena:

_Can we talk?_

Kara felt that stupid smile spread across her face despite herself. _Of course, Lunch?_

Lunch turned out to be a fairly private affair in their favourite cosy café a block from L-Corp and CatCo. They were secreted away in their usual corner booth, nursing a black coffee (Lena) and a hot chocolate (Kara), with a shared assortment of sandwiches and biscuits between them. They chattered away almost as if nothing had ever happened, as if they were so relieved to be back on proper terms again that they just wanted to bask in each other’s presence for a while. But the subject of their morning wake-up call hung between them like an elephant, and it was Kara who eventually broached the subject.

‘So, uh, Alex wants to talk about what happened,’ she ventured. ‘I’m guessing you’ve seen some of the comments on the video?’

Lena nodded, eyes sparkling almost mischievously. ‘Why yes, I did. I can say I haven’t had such positive public reviews for a long time- at least not from anything you haven’t written. I’ll admit I was furious at first, but perhaps this will be better PR than I expected.’

Kara just found herself blushing furiously, like after the first time she’d flown Lena to her office in a bridal carry. ‘Well, just tell me if people are starting to bother you too much. I’m sure a message from Supergirl can get them to leave you alone.’

Lena just shook her head in amusement, nibbling at the corner of her sandwich. ‘And why would your sister be so interested in discussing this with you, anyway?’ She waggled her eyebrows. ‘I’m guessing she’s questioning your sexuality.’

And that just made Kara blush even harder ‘Well, I mean, you know’-

‘Relax, Kara.’

And just like that, the softness in Lena’s eyes made Kara feel like everything between would be okay again, that they really would build back their bond stronger than ever.

 

They hadn’t had a sister’s night in a long time, so Kara was eager to get back home and prepare the standard trappings of their movie nights: popcorn, Chinese take-out, comfy clothes, and Netflix standing ready on the T.V.

Alex arrived with Kelly in tow, and together they grabbed the take-out and moved to the couch like a well-oiled machine. About halfway through the general chatter about how their days had been going, Alex, relentless as ever, rather bluntly brought up the now-infamous video and let it play on her phone.

‘So, you and Lena made up, huh?’

‘Don’t tease her,’ Kelly warned, giving Alex a playful push.

‘I have questions! I need to know how my sister ended up curled around Lena Luthor!’

‘I bet it’s a cute story,’ Kelly cooed, now apparently resigning herself to joining in on the fun.

So Kara sighed and recounted her previous night, all the way up to finding a pair of pesky paparazzi filming them in the morning.

Thankfully, they finally dropped the subject and settled on a movie, leaving Kara with strange yet familiar feelings fluttering in her chest and gut.

 

By Saturday night, she’d finally settled on a plan to figure these feelings out once and for all.

Naturally, that plan involved going to a gay bar that Alex said she liked. She knew Alex and Kelly wouldn’t be there since they had plans to go to the ice rink, and really, Kara just wanted to figure this out on her own first before saying anything to her friends and family.

So here she was, at the gay bar not-so-subtly titled as Bottom’s Up, and she was as wide-eyed as any newcomer.

‘What’ll you have?’ asked a bartender.

Kara eyed the menu, but before she could make a choice, someone sidled up to her and said, ‘Whatever you have, it’s on me.’

Kara looked up and raised an eyebrow at the lady slipping onto the bar stool beside her. Suddenly aware that she could actually do so here, she found herself eyeing her curves and bare arms, her gaze lingering before her usual instinct took over and she looked her in the eyes. She met an expectant gaze and plump lips painted red.

Her heart beat strangely loudly at the thought of this woman flirting with her. Perhaps if this night went well and she decided that she really did want to explore her sexuality a little more, she just might end up doing more than flirting.

The thought was as terrifying as it was exhilarating.

‘I might just take you up on that,’ Kara accepted, nodding as graciously as she could and generally trying not to make a fool of herself.

_Just start flirting and see what happens. That’s all you have to do. No expectations, just some casual fun._

She found herself calming down a bit as the woman- Mira- engaged her in small talk while they waited for their drinks. When the drinks arrived, the conversation became more and more flirtatious, and Kara was definitely blushing way too much now, and something in her wanted to keep going, wanted to see where this could take her.

‘So, are you here to get laid, or are you here to flirt around?’ Mira asked eventually, making Kara’s cheeks flush even hotter.

‘Oh, uhm- well, I’m trying to figure things out, and here seems the best place to do it. My sister comes here sometimes,’ she added.

‘Ah. Alex Danvers, right?’

Kara nodded. ‘She often got dates here. I mean, she’s taken now, but’-

Mira just chuckled. ‘I see. You’re trying to see if you’re into women.’

‘Well- yeah, I guess.’ Kara managed an awkward shrug and self-deprecating smile. ‘My flirting’s not the best, so I apologise for anything weird.’

‘Don’t; you’re charming. Now, if you’re just testing yourself out in the field, you don’t have to go with the first lady who talks you up. Get out there and dance!’

With Mira’s encouragement, Kara did just that.

And it turned out that she was actually quite a hit with regular patrons and fellow newcomers alike. They seemed to like her arms in particular, and as the night wore on, she grew bolder and let them touch her biceps and grind against her as they danced. It was all heat and soft curves and a sort of intimacy she wasn’t used to, but something in her responded to the attention with aggressive enthusiasm.

But, she still hadn’t plucked the courage to kiss anyone yet.

She was just wondering whether to step that little bit closer to the woman she was currently dancing with when another figure arrived on the scene.

Kara could smell her before she even saw her- that familiar soft perfume laced with plumerias, and then the tell-tale click of high heels, and then the dulcet tones faintly touched with an Irish accent as Lena Luthor ordered her drink.

Kara found herself peeling away from her dance partner and walking, almost hypnotised, back to the bar counter.

‘My, my,’ Lena said, giving Kara a now-familiar sort of appraising look as she eyed her up and down. ‘I can’t say I expected to see you here, darling.’

‘Likewise,’ Kara countered, taking the barstool next to her. ‘What brings you to Bottom’s Up?’

Lena smirked, scrunching her face in that adorable way that made Kara want to hug her. Or maybe kiss her, if the sudden eruption of butterflies in her stomach was any indication. Lena’s sleek black dress, which exposed her arms and much of her sternum, left her thoughts all cloudy and confused.

‘What do you think?’

Kara looked away, flushing. ‘Well, I don’t mean to presume, but… you never mentioned having an interest in women before.’

‘Neither did you,’ Lena dodged. ‘I guess we’re both still being a little secretive.’

‘Well, recent events have kind of… shaken me up, I guess. I figure that since I’m perfectly single, this could be a chance to, uh… explore? You know, personal growth and all that?’

A kittenish smile traced Lena’s features. ‘Curious, are we?’ she said, her voice reduced to a low purr that sent warm shivers down her spine.

‘Maybe I am,’ Kara breathed, her gaze hooked on Lena’s face.

Lena bit her lip, as if considering testing the waters. ‘So if I maybe asked if I could buy you a drink…?’

Kara’s heart thudded somewhere in her throat. As exhilarating and freeing as the night had been, she’d been flirting with complete strangers; suddenly meeting her best friend here was bringing this to a whole new level. And there was little mistaking the intent in Lena’s voice; this was not their usual, playful sort of flirtation that somehow stayed within the bounds of friendship. The tone of Lena’s voice, and her subtle change in body language, told Kara that this was genuine flirtation full of intent.  

‘Then I’d say yes.’

Kara was full of nerves as they sipped on their drinks. She didn’t know what to do, but thankfully Lena did, so she took her lead. They leaned more into their casual touches, slowly amped up the flirtation in their conversation, let their feet play with each other beneath the counter. Kara couldn’t believe she was playing footsies with her best friend in a gay bar, but honestly, stranger things had happened to her, so she went with it.

‘Care to dance?’ Lena offered, sliding off her stool and stretching out a hand.

‘I’d love to!’

And of course, at that moment, the DJ had cruised into a slow waltz.

Kara did not know how to waltz. But thankfully Lena did, so again she let her take the lead.

‘It’s okay, you can just put your hands on my waist,’ she encouraged.

Kara did so, and suddenly felt better. The waltz wasn’t as difficult as she’d expected, as long as she let Lena continue to lead, and her body positively sang at their close proximity.

‘Have you been coming here long?’ Kara manages to ask, hoping this isn’t too much of a personal question. She didn’t want to pry too much and risk damaging their friendship again.

‘About nine months,’ Lena admitted. ‘Being a CEO doesn’t leave much time for dating, so I decided hook-ups in bars would have to do, at least until I’m more settled. I just happened across this bar one night, not realising it was a gay bar, and as it so happens… I found that women quite agree with me. And before you ask, I have seen Alex here. I just asked her to never talk about it.’

‘Why?’ Kara asked. ‘You could have confided in me.’

‘I never had the courage,’ Lena admitted, cheeks blushing pink. ‘I know it’s ridiculous, since you’ve never judged me or your sister for anything like this, but I just don’t want you to think of me as… well, predatory. Or weird.'

‘Oh, Lena.’ Kara wrapped her in a hug, breaking off the dance, but regretted nothing, especially when she felt Lena melt into her. ‘I’d never think of you as that.’

‘Logically, I know that.’ Lena chuckled. ‘But enough about me. What about you? Is your curiosity satisfied yet?’

Kara shook her head, only leaning back slightly so she could see Lena’s face. ‘Not yet. I’m _really_ liking this, but I haven’t even managed to kiss anyone yet.’

A molten tension rippled between them at her quiet words. Kara closed her eyes as Lena traced her cheek with a hand, breath reduce to shudders.

‘Can I…?’

Kara didn’t know why Lena was asking, why she’d chosen to pursue her out of every other woman in this bar tonight, but everything in her soared at the prospect of kissing her best friend. She leaned into her touch, and slowly nodded, and that was all the permission Lena needed.

The softest lips she’d ever encountered pressed against hers, and she was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to make that little whimper of need upon the contact. They pressed flush against each other, swaying amongst the other dancers, and Kara could have died with happiness right then and there. She found herself tentatively licking at the seam of Lena’s mouth, which parted with obvious enthusiasm, and then their tongues were sliding against each other and now Kara had definitely let out an embarrassing moan; she could feel Lena smile at the noise, and she brought a hand to the back of Kara’s neck to press her even closer. They were so engrossed in the kiss that they didn’t even register the music changing- just content to stay there, uncaring of who was watching, revelling in this new direction their relationship had taken.

Soon they ended up making out against a wall in a more secluded corner, seeking extra privacy so they could focus on more kisses and ever-bolder touches that left Kara breathless.

They were only broken apart by the sudden arrival of Alex, and her declaration of, ‘I knew I’d find you two here! Glory hallelujah!’


End file.
